Pierre Rangheard: From Camouflage to Combat
Pierre Rangheard was born on November 20, 1910, in Maizières-lès-Brienne (France), and died in Lyon on November 27, 1995. A French army officer turned resistance fighter, he quickly made a mark within the « CDM » (Camouflage du Matériel) network in Lyon after the establishment of the Armistice Army. On June 6, 1944, he joined the Maquis in the Vercors region, taking command of the company responsible for equipment and ammunition, and organizing munition depots. He played an active combat role against German troops.
- As a captain in the FFI (French Forces of the Interior), he notably participated in the rescue of 53 Senegalese Tirailleurs who were imprisoned in the La Doua barracks in Villeurbanne, and in the liberation of Lyon.
Claude Falck: A Journey from Brazil to the Vercors
Claude Falck was born in Brazil on January 16, 1918, to French parents. After his mother fled an abusive husband, she returned with Claude to France in 1920 and remarried, offering Claude a nurturing environment. He excelled in his studies at Lycée Janson de Sailly in Paris and entered École Polytechnique in 1938. His first academic year was clouded by the threat of war, and when Poland was invaded, he and his classmates were recalled from vacation on September 1, 1939, and sent for military training. Opting for the engineering school, he became a second lieutenant and was posted in the spring of 1940 to the Charente Group. Quickly faced more with the collapse of the French army than the Germans themselves, he received a brigade-level citation and the Croix de Guerre:
« A courageous officer, carried out the destruction of the Gennes Bridge on June 19, 1940 with calm and composure, despite enemy gunfire. »
During the summer, Polytechnique survived the armistice but moved to Lyon and became « civilian ». Claude and his surviving classmates left the military and spent a gloomy, difficult second year near Lyon. In July 1941, he became a student engineer with the Post Office but resigned quickly due to a stifling atmosphere. In December 1941, he found work near Toulon and began to take an interest in the Resistance. When the « Free Zone » was occupied in November 1942, Claude moved to Grenoble, where the Resistance was vibrant. Working for « L’Electro-Technique » and staying with an uncle (who soon found out and approved of his patriotic contacts), Falck was soon involved with Yves Farge and Alain Le Ray—key figures strengthening the Vercors’ military organization by training young fighters and obtaining equipment and explosives.
His clandestine activity drew him close to M. Laronde, a resistant and director of « Forces Motrices Bonne et Drac ». At Laronde’s request, he officially moved in April 1944 to Sautet for engineering but operated covertly in the maquis of Corps and Vercors under the alias Blanchard. After D-Day, Falck focused his missions on the Vercors, moving to the plateau at the end of June, where he commanded the engineering section and that of Sergeant-Major Decarnin, instructing young recruits. He participated in the fierce fighting at the end of June and officially joined the FFI as a lieutenant on July 13, 1944.
Although the landing strip his unit was preparing in Vassieux wasn’t finished, the fact that German assault troops were dropped near there from July 21 deeply marked Falck—not just for the combat without mercy, but for the atrocities committed. After two days of battle, it became clear the massif was surrounded and that survival depended on retreating in small groups. Ordered by Captain Roos on July 23, Falck’s group, despite being skilled mountaineers, had the misfortune of being captured while breaking through German roadblocks after scaling the surrounding cliffs. All members were executed on July 24, 1944, at Miribel-Lanchâtre, their bodies thrown into a ravine.
Since Claude Falck wasn’t local, his body couldn’t be immediately identified and his loss was painfully felt by his family, who remained in the dark for a long time. Lieutenant Falck was posthumously declared « Died for France » and now rests with fellow fighters at the national cemetery in Saint-Nizier-du-Moucherotte. For dedication to the cause and bravery in battle, he was cited at Army Corps level and received the Croix de Guerre. Through efforts by the Vercors Pioneers and the X-Resistance association, Claude Falck posthumously received the Combatant Volunteer Cross of the Resistance in March 2020.
Snapshots of Resistance: Lives Entwined with History
- One was incorporated into the 15/9 in Briançon in August 1932, making a career as non-commissioned officer. The participant was cited for action during the French campaign at Ourcq in June 1940, and by November 1942 achieved the rank of adjutant at 15/9. He joined the Vercors on January 12, 1943, to run a camp under Narcisse Geyer (alias Thivollet), eventually becoming lieutenant’s deputy for administration and supplies, later transferred to sector IV (Trièves, Diois, southern Isère) in June 1944. After enduring attacks and covert survival, he was the first to enter Vizille castle, capturing 38 retreating German troops, and took part in the Haute-Maurienne campaign. His section was the first to cross into Italy via the Arnèse pass by April 1945.
- Later, he served as a lieutenant in the 15th Chasseurs Alpins Battalion, fought in the Alps, the Indochina and Algerian campaigns, and retired as battalion chief in 1960. Among numerous awards: Officer of the Legion of Honour, Military Medal, multiple war citations, Medal of Resistance.
The Grandmothers Who Sheltered Fighters & Their Legacy
From distant towns and foreign lands to the challenging Vercors plateau, the Resistance bound together a wide cast of lives—from engineers and students pivoting to clandestine missions, to mothers determinedly leading their children in search of missing husbands. Through disruptions, courage, and ingenuity, the story of these Alpine fighters reminds us of both tragic loss and unyielding hope.
As history was forged in mountain passes, small villages, and even the hearts of families displaced across borders, the mission undertaken by these individuals—soldiers and civilians, parents and children—echoes in the annals of European memory. Their bravery wasn’t just in combat, but in the daily choice to resist, to support, and to protect in times of darkness.
John is a curious mind who loves to write about diverse topics. Passionate about sharing his thoughts and perspectives, he enjoys sparking conversations and encouraging discovery. For him, every subject is an invitation to discuss and learn.
